Real Estate Sales Exam Real Estate Sales Fair Housing and Ethics Questions and Answers 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A real estate agent refuses to show properties in a particular neighborhood to a family because of their national origin. Which federal law is being violated?
- Fair Housing Act of 1968 (Correct answer)
- Civil Rights Act of 1866
- Equal Credit Opportunity Act
- Home Mortgage Disclosure Act
Correct answer: Fair Housing Act of 1968
The Fair Housing Act of 1968 prohibits discrimination in housing based on national origin, among other protected classes.
Question 2: Which of the following practices constitutes illegal steering under fair housing laws?
- Directing buyers toward or away from neighborhoods based on race (Correct answer)
- Providing school district information when asked
- Showing all available listings to every client
- Offering a buyer a list of neighborhoods within their budget
Correct answer: Directing buyers toward or away from neighborhoods based on race
Steering occurs when an agent channels buyers toward or away from certain areas based on a protected characteristic such as race.
Question 3: Under the Code of Ethics, a REALTOR discovers that a competing agent has made false claims about a property listing. What is the REALTOR's primary obligation?
- Report the matter to the local board of REALTORS (Correct answer)
- Confront the competing agent directly
- Inform the buyer and ignore the competing agent
- Post a public warning about the competing agent
Correct answer: Report the matter to the local board of REALTORS
The NAR Code of Ethics requires that disputes and ethical violations be reported to the local board for proper adjudication.
Question 4: A landlord refuses to allow a tenant with a disability to install a grab bar in the bathroom at the tenant's own expense. Is this legal?
- No, the landlord must allow reasonable modifications at the tenant's expense (Correct answer)
- Yes, the landlord has full control over property alterations
- Yes, but only if the building was built before 1988
- No, the landlord must pay for all disability-related modifications
Correct answer: No, the landlord must allow reasonable modifications at the tenant's expense
Under the Fair Housing Act, landlords must permit reasonable modifications by disabled tenants at the tenant's expense.
Question 5: Which of the following is an example of blockbusting?
- Telling homeowners that minority families moving in will lower property values (Correct answer)
- Refusing to sell a home to a buyer based on religion
- Charging higher interest rates based on the borrower's ethnicity
- Requiring a larger security deposit from families with children
Correct answer: Telling homeowners that minority families moving in will lower property values
Blockbusting involves inducing owners to sell by suggesting that a protected class moving into the area will negatively affect property values.
Question 6: A real estate agent's client asks them to only market their home to buyers of a specific religion. How should the agent respond?
- Refuse the request and explain it violates fair housing laws (Correct answer)
- Follow the client's instructions as required by fiduciary duty
- Market to all buyers but give preference to the specified group
- Refer the client to another agent willing to comply
Correct answer: Refuse the request and explain it violates fair housing laws
An agent must refuse any client instruction that would violate fair housing laws, regardless of fiduciary obligations.
A real estate agent refuses to show properties in a particular neighborhood to a family because of their national origin.
Which federal law is being violated?